


Deal or no Deal

by ShadowoftheLamp



Series: Let Me Help [7]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-22 07:35:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13759332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowoftheLamp/pseuds/ShadowoftheLamp
Summary: Ford realizes that he's caught between a rock and a hard place.





	Deal or no Deal

**Author's Note:**

> I FINALLY GOT THIS THING DONE, HOLY CRAP
> 
> A big thanks to [FanficPhoenix](http://archiveofourown.org/users/FanficPhoenix/pseuds/FanficPhoenix) for being a beta on this one- and they've helped on some of the earlier chapters too. (Pssst go check out their stuff, it's not GF but it's really good, they're a good friend and wrote one of my favorite fics)
> 
> Hopefully I'll get more into the swing of things now that this one is out, I'm sorry it took so long but I'd love to hear what you think!

The first thing Ford did when he regained control of his body was to scramble to his feet, blood still dripping from his fingertips and his right eye.

The second thing Ford did was reach up for the portal… moments before a shockwave knocked him back and blinded him, the back of his head slamming into the concrete and rattling his teeth. There was a ringing and something like a jackhammer pounding in his ears as he tried to push himself up.

He did not, however, hear the sound of the portal. That had gone eerily silent - or perhaps it was just the head trauma.

Ford had become used to waking up in painful or uncomfortable positions in the past few months, as much as he tried to avoid sleep. But this was so much worse - even through the static and blurred colors obscuring his vision, he could still see Miranda's terrified face in his mind as she was pulled through the gravity of the portal.

After a time - whether it was seconds or hours, Ford couldn't tell, he managed to push himself up. The back of his skull screamed, but he pulled a few tissues from his pocket and stuck them where the blood felt the most concentrated. He'd... he'd deal with it later.

Stumbling to the console, he finally looked up at the portal - completely dead.

She was gone.

"For the love of- shit!" Ford slammed a fist into the wall, pain blooming in his knuckles as his breath hitched in his throat.

The pain wasn't the worst part, though. Stanford Pines was used to physical pain, after the past six months.

No, this worst part was this must have been _exactly_ what Bill wanted.

He could practically hear him. " _You've got a choice, Sixer- you gonna let a poor innocent young lady try to survive the Nigh_ _t_ _mare Realm_ _,_ _or will you be the hero you_ _always wanted_ _to be?_ "

"This is your fault."

Whether he was talking to Bill or himself, he wasn't sure.

Ford began to rummage through the mess that was the floor beneath the control panel. Some of it was from before Fiddleford left, some of it was just tools, but some of it… he felt his chest jump as he realized he didn't know how it had gotten there.

"You said you can't get through until it finishes charging; why bother messing with it?" He mumbled to himself.

_"Nothing wrong with speeding things up a bit, Sixer!"_

Ford whirled around and let out a yelp as he hit his head on the underside of the panel… the panel that had now turned gray.

"Bill… did I pass out?"

Bill lounged on top of a computer across the room, filing at his fingers with some kind of claw. _"Yep, but I'm not gonna move you around too much_ _. Aren't I nice?_ "

"Nice as the plague."

 _"Thanks for the compliment. I'm just making you an offer_ _;_ _don't you want to hear it?"_

"Not on your life," Ford snapped out, but Bill laughed.

_"Don't have one of those, so here goes! Between us, we both know that girl isn't going to last ten minutes in my dimension. Even if I don't get her, one of my friends will."_

"What, you're going to hand her right back if I turn the portal back on?" Ford clenched his fists, trying to ignore his throbbing headache.

 _"Nah, of course not. Don't you know me better than that? I want you to confirm you'll keep the portal open until it's ready, and then I'll bring her back when I come.”_ He tapped at his bow tie in thought before pointing up in an ‘aha’ motion. _“I'll even let you join us, if you stop being such a sourpuss! You could have a lot of fun with my crowd, Fordsy."_

"Bill-"

The triangle snapped his fingers.

 _"Oooh, how about I show you what she's doing right now?"_ Bill's eye disappeared, his body becoming a viewing screen, and Ford's stomach bubbled with acid as he watched her trembling behind an asteroid, hugging herself with her chest heaving. _"Not having much fun, doesn't look like_ _-_ _but tell you what, I still like you_ _,_ _so I'll even get rid of my loophole. I promise when I hand her over she'll be perfectly healthy and at least moderately sane. You're a smart guy, you know you can't stop me, so why not get something out of it?"_ He reformed his eye and fluttered it in a way that was probably supposed to be cutesy but just looked disturbing.

"I..." The word hung in the air, and Bill leaned forward, ever so slightly. "...No. Nothing you do will convince me to make another deal with you."

Bill's glow flickered from white to red, and milliseconds later his body changed as well.

 ** _“_** ** _You will bow to me in the end, Stanford Pines,_ ** **_or_ ** **_her death will be because of_ ** **_YOU!_** ** _”_ **

* * *

Ford woke up under the control panel. He found the first aid kid and had to re-wrap his bloody head three times because his hands were shaking so badly.


End file.
